Sand-box.



PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

J. L. LEVY.

SAND BOX. APPLICATION rum) MAR. 2, 1907.

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No. 870,111. PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

J. L. LEVY I SAND BOX. APPLICATION PILEDMAR. 2, 1907- UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. LEVY, OF NEW YORK, N.

PENNSYLVANIA.

Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSINMENTS, TO THE J. G. BRILL COMPANY, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

A CORPORATION OF SAND-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed March 2, 1907. Serial No. 360,260.

To all whom it mag} concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. LEVY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Sand-Boxes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to sand boxes used on railway cars, and is a typein which the valve is a swing gate valve adapted to swing on an axle,and to control the flow of sand.

The object of my improvements is to allow oi the use of a swing valvehaving a curved bottom made on a large are, and so that there will be noleak of the sand when the valve is closed.

In the drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a verticalsection of myimpr'oved sandbox. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken on theline 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the box. Fig. 4 is aplan view, and Fig. 5 is a perspective, view of the gate valve.

In the drawings of this application, I have illustrated a complete sandbox with its operating mechanism, althrough my invention deals moreparticularly with the valve and its corresponding parts.

The box consist primarily of an upper reservoir 1 which is provided withan inturned bottom 2, having bolts 3 passing through the latter andsecuring it to the floor 4 of a railway car, and is adapted to be filledwith a supply of sand ready for use. This reservoir is adapted tosurround an opening in the floor of the car, through which the sand isfed into a hopper 5, the bottom having an opening corresponding to theopening in the car floor. The hopper 5 has inclined walls 6 whichincline inward to their lower ends 7, and at the upper portion there isprovided a plate 8 which rests against the wall of the opening in thecar floor and there is also provided an outwardly extending plate 9which is secured against the under side of the car flooring. Theinterior of this hopper forms a continuation of the interior opening ofthe reservoir 1 and the sand from the latter is continuously fed intothe hopper as the supply from the latter diminishes.

As a means for inolosing the hopper and its valve mechanism so thatoutside elements will not affect the contents nor the working of thevalve, I provide an exterior casing 10 which surrounds the hopper belowthe car floor, the walls of which incline inwardly and terniinate in acylindrical mouth 11 to which a hose may be secured for directing thesand to the car track. The casing 10 and the plate 9 of the hopper aresecured to the under side of the car flooring by the bolts 3 which alsohold the reservoir.

As a means for controlling the flow of sand through the hopper, Iprovide a swing gate valve which is shown in perspective in Fig. 5. Itconsists of a circularly disposed bottom plate 12, upwardly extendingplates 14 formed at each end thereof and an interior stirring rod oragitator 14.. At the upper ends of the plates 14, there is provided ajournal 15 having a polygonal aperture 16 therethrough, the latter beingadapted to receive corresponding ends 23 and 24 of the removable axles18.

The curved bottom 12 of the valve is preferably formed on the arc of acircle whose center is taken from the center of: the axle so that thebottom plate may be formed on an arc of considerable size.

The stirring rod 14. is placed preferably nearer one end of the bottomand directed at such an angle as is shown in Fig. 1 so as to cause it tomove on arcs whose common centers are at the center of the axle 18, sothat when the valve is in its closed position, as is shown in Fig. 1,the stirring rod will lie near one side of the hopper bottom and moveacross the latter when the valve is operated. By positioning thestirring rod in this manner, the upper as well as the lower end servesto effectually stir the sand in the hopper and loosen it for dischargewhen the valve is open.

My improvements particularly relate to the means for providing a properclosure between the end of the hopper and the valve so that the lattermay be made here shown, on an arc of a large circle and be free to havea considerable swing, and so that the sand when the valve is closed willnot be discharged by jarring or otherwise.

It the bottom plate of the valve is made to extend far enough to inclosethe lower end of the hopper, the extent of the swing of the hopper islimited. I therefore provide on the curved plate 12 of the hopper longitudinal ribs 19 which extend across the plate 12 from one of the uprightplates 14 to the other and they are so located that when the valve is inthe position shown in Fig. 1, the ribs 19 will come almost in contactwith the lower end 7 of the hopper. They may be brought sutficientlynear to the lower end 7 to prevent the discharge of sand and still befree to pass the same without interfering therewith. The ribs 19 arepreferably made with a long incline 20 on one side and a shorter incline21 on the opposite side. In this way the valve is free to swing in theextseme direction shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, without interferingwith the hopper, and when the valve is closed there is no tendency ofthe sand to pile up from the bottom of the valve and escape between thevalve and hopper and by reason of the close proximity of the ribs to theend of the hopper. There is thus secured all the advantages of a gatevalve whose bottom is made on a large arc and which may be swung veryfar in opening and which will have a proper means for preventing theleakage of the sand.

I provide means for operating the valve which consists of theiollowing:The axles 18, heretofore referred to, are journaled at 22 inthe casing 10 of the sand box so that their ends 23 and 24 respectively,project beyond the sides of the casing. The end 24 is polygonal andthere is fitted over it a lever 25, which is a bell crank lever having asecond arm 26, the lever being secured to the axle by a pin 27. Thelever 25 extends at an angle below the axle and there is pro vided astationary stop 28 against which the arm 26 rests when the valve is inthe position shown in Fig. l. Secured to the end of the lever 25 is arod 29 which is connected with means for pulling the lever 25 forwardfor the purpose of operating the valve. There is provided means forregulating the extreme throw of the lever 25 so that the valve may beswung to any desired position at each operation of the lever and thismay be adjusted to suit the requirements. For this purpose I provide anear 30 on the side of the casing 10 in which there is a screw 31 adaptedto be regulated so that the end thereof will engage the projectingportion 32 of the lever 25, and by adjustment of the screw 31, theextreme throw of the lever 25 may be regulated.

When it is desired to operate the valve, the rod 29 is pulled forward byany means which may be provided for that purpose and the action istransmitted through the lever 25 and the axle to the swing gate valvewhich moves upon its axles and the sand is discharged through the hopperand easing. While the valve is moving as thus described, the stirringrod 14 loosens the sand so that it can move downward through the hopper.

Having described my invention what I claim is'.

1. In a sand box, a hopper, a swing gate valve having a curved bottom,said valve being adapted to close the end of the hopper, and projectingribs on the valve bottom extending toward the hopper end, for closingthe space be tween the valve and hopper end.

2. In a sand box, a hopper, a swing gate valve having a curved bottomadapted to lie. below the end of-the hopper, upwardly extending ribs onthe bottom of the valve adapted to close the space between the hopperend and valve, the said valve being adapted to swing and open thehopper.

3. In a sand box, a hopper, a swing gate valve having a bottom curved onan arc whose radius is as long as the distance between the axle of thevalve and the middle of the valve bottom, said valve being adapted tolie below the end of the hopper and projecting ribs 0n the valve bottomadapted to close the space between the hopper and valve.

4. In a sand box, a hopper, a swing gate valve having a curved bottom.said valve bottom being adapted to lie be low the hopper end, a casinginclosing the hopper and valve and projecting ribs adapted to close thespace between the valve bottom and hopper end, the said ribs beingadapted to pass the hopper end, as the valve is oscillated.

5. In a sand box, a hopper, rectangular in crosssection, a swing valvecomprising a curved bottom adapted to lie below the end of the hopper,having upwardly extending supporting plates adapted to inclose thehopper on two sides, and projections extending between the saidsupporting plates and projecting near and toward the hopper end tocomplete the inclosure of the hopper end.

Signed this 28th day of February, 1907.

JOSEPH L. LEVY.

Witnesses G. IRA ARMAND, BLANCHE V. MAI-ION-

